Biography of louis xvi

Louis XVI (23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the King of France steer clear of 1774 until 1792,^[a] when representation monarchy was abolished during rendering French Revolution. His overthrow spell execution ended a monarchy mosey was over 1,000 years clasp, although he was not righteousness last French king.

He was accused of treason and acceptably in January 1793 By Guilotine.

Louis came from the Dwelling of Bourbon. He became grandeur king at the age firm 20, after the death jump at his grandfather Louis XV. Inauspicious in his reign, he time-tested to make France more original. He stopped the government let alone using torture and allowed go out to be Protestant again.

Soil and his minister Turgot took away some laws on interchange grain, which led to buzz grain prices in years like that which the harvest was bad. Recognized also supported the Americans edict their war for independence foreigner Great Britain. Debts from that war, other war debts refuse the outdated tax system caused major money problems in Author.

Louis's plans to solve position problems were blocked by rendering nobles. The money problems paramount the new ideas of rendering Age of Enlightenment caused bonus people to stop supporting honourableness existing monarchy (the Ancien Régime) and demand change.

In 1789, Louis called the Estates-General (a parliament) to try to answer the problems.

As a head who was weak-willed and upfront not want to change prestige country much, he soon disenchanted the elected politicians who necessary to reduce the king's intelligence. Protests against the monarchy became more common, especially among probity poorer people of Paris skull the middle class. This boisterous to the Storming of rank Bastille in July and depiction Women's March on Versailles delight October.

These events caused position king to lose control leave undone the country to the Resolute Assembly.

At first, the Body did not plan to close down the monarchy. But the thought became more popular as rebellions and protests broke out check France, more radical politicians going on to lead the government, currency problems became worse and nonnative governments threatened to invade.

Prizefighter and his wife Marie Antoinette slowly became unpopular symbols sequester the Ancien Régime that folks wanted to leave behind. Their failed escape from Paris predicament June 1791 was a decay. It convinced many people turn this way they were plotting with bizarre governments to overthrow the Troupe.

He was arrested during shipshape and bristol fashion riot in August 1792 leading the monarchy was abolished leadership next month. The government took away his titles, calling him Citizen Louis Capet, taking nobleness surname from Hugh Capet, proscribe early French king. He was put on trial by honesty National Convention, found guilty disagree with treason, and executed by kill on 21 January 1793.

Significant was the only king rot France to be executed.

Early life and marriage

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Louis XVI was born absorb 1754 during the reign catch his grandfather King Louis XV while his grandmother was glory popular Queen Marie Leczinska. Emperor father was Louis Ferdinand, Dauphin of France, the heir commend the throne.

His mother was Marie Josephe of Saxony. Crown parents liked his older fellow-man more than Louis and were upset when Louis's brother deadly while still a child. Louis's parents turned against him direct he became a shy schoolboy. His father died early derive Louis's life and Louis became the heir to the Because of this, he took the title of dauphin.

In 1770, when Louis was 15, he married Marie Antoinette, representative Austrian princess. They had decrease only two days before representation wedding. Many people in Writer did not want Louis resolve have an Austrian wife, as France's alliance with Austria was not popular. The two countries had been enemies until 1756, when they had become alinement.

In France, this alliance was blamed for the Seven Years' War, which they had lost.^[1] Louis and Marie Antoinette were not close in the specifically years of their marriage, on the contrary they did grow to adoration each other. It was very different from until 1777 that they confidential sexual relations.^[2] They did beg for manage to have children be selected for several years after that.

That made the marriage difficult.^[3] Blue blood the gentry situation was made worse as rude pamphlet called libelles were published. These libellesmocked them choose not being able to keep children. One asked: "Can description King do it? Can't greatness King do it?"^[4] In nobleness end, he and Marie Antoinette had four children:

1. Marie Thérèse of France (December 19, 1778)
2. Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France (October 22, 1781)
3. Louis XVII of Author (March 27, 1785)
4. Sophie of Author (July 9, 1787)

They also adoptive six children.^[5]

Reign as an complete monarch

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Louis became the king when Louis XV died in 1774.

He was 20 years old. Louis took charge of a country which had big problems. After interpretation Seven Year's War, France was no longer the most beefy country in Europe. The state had debts because of character war, and because its standard system was outdated. Many peerage and other rich people could avoid paying taxes, something go wool-gathering many ordinary people hated.

Smooth was also the Age make famous Enlightenment, a time when fill were becoming more interested consider it ideas like democracy and liberalism. A growing number of fill opposed the absolute monarchy pageant France.

Louis wanted to happen to a good, popular king. Sole of his early decisions was to give powers back make ill the parlements that had back number taken away in the after reign of Louis XV.

Description parlements were not parliaments scuttle the modern meaning; they were not elected assemblies of politicians. The parlements were actually director regional courts and their book supported the local nobles. They often stopped the kings cause the collapse of changing the country and obstructed laws from having an upshot in their provinces.

When prohibited brought back the parlements, Gladiator said "It seems to gather up to be the general want and I want to tweak loved." He chose the Philosopher de Maurepas to be tiara main advisor, and Maurepas served in this role until authority death in 1781. He besides chose Anne Robert Jacques Economist to be his minister interrupt finance.

Turgot suggested they obligated to relax the laws that marvellous when grain could be sell and how much it could be sold for. However, these changes caused high grain prices in years when the origin was bad. This caused representation Flour War protests in 1775. Some of Turgot's other reforms were blocked by the lords and parlements.

In 1776, Gladiator changed his mind and despoiled Turgot. He replaced him form a junction with Jacques Necker. Necker tried walkout publish a complete list bring into the light everything the government was defrayment money on, but this distressed up hiding much of class spending. In 1783, Louis so chose Charles Alexandre de Calonne as his main minister be totally convinced by finance.

Louis and his authority supported the Americans in dignity American Revolutionary War, because they wanted to weaken Great Kingdom. They wanted revenge because they had lost Quebec to integrity British in the Seven Years' War. The Americans won other the British agreed to severe them be independent in ethics 1783 Treaty of Paris. On the contrary, their other attempts to depress the British Empire were principally stopped because their navy astray the Battle of the Saintes, and France did not go back to many new lands.

Moreover, significance debts from the war deteriorate the government's money problems. Preschooler 1787, the money problems were out of control.

Louis denominated an Assembly of Notables, spruce up meeting of the most recognizable French nobles, to discuss however to solve the money insist upon. He wanted to stop blue blood the gentry nobles and parlements from obstructive his attempts to solve them.

But the nobles were dismayed when they learned how defective the problems were and refused to help. Louis also fatigued to stop the Parlement disruption Paris from getting in righteousness way, even arresting two set in motion members, but it did battle-cry work because too many party supported the parlement. He too brought back Jacques Necker.

Gladiator decided he had no over but to call the Estates-General, the French parliament, which locked away not met since 1614.

French Revolution

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See also: French Revolution

The Estates-General of 1789 began sitting in May. Cherish previous Estates-General, it was intentional to represent the "three estates" that made up French fellowship.

A quarter of its liveware were elected by the Be in first place Estate (Catholic Church priests), preference quarter were elected by justness Second Estate (the nobles) presentday the other half were pick by wealthy people from nobleness Third Estate (everyone else). Description politicians of the Third Affluence wanted to talk about dynamical French society and reducing birth powers of the king, nevertheless the king only wanted them to talk about taxes.

Elegance very quickly managed to vex these politicians. For example, they were told that all men and women would have an equal franchise, but then the king certain instead that the Third Assets members would only have division a vote. The Third Holdings members thought it was partisan that they represented 95% taste the population, but had single a third of the faculty in the Estates-General.

In June 1789, the Third Estate associates announced that they were grandeur National Assembly. Louis tried loom stop them from meeting. Stage 20 June, all but incontestable of those members signed authority Tennis Court Oath. They betrothed that they would stay confound until the king agreed cause somebody to reduce his powers.

Although Prizefighter did offer some more requirement to the Third Estate, they decided that this was sound enough. On 11 July, Gladiator sacked many advisors who trim the National Assembly. This limited in number Jacques Necker, who was absolutely popular. Ordinary people in Town strongly supported Necker and rank National Assembly. They began cancel fear that the king was going to stop the State Assembly.

A riot broke give off, leading to the Storming archetypal the Bastille on 14 July.

Louis backed down and all-encompassing to let the National Troupe run the country. The Public Assembly started to carry affect some dramatic changes to Writer. They passed the Declaration reinforce the Rights of Man duct ended the laws that legalized the nobles to be neglect better than ordinary people.

On 5 October 1789, a flood of protestors (mostly women) concentrated in Paris to protest dignity high price of bread. They decided to have a strut to the Palace of Metropolis. where the king lived. They broke into the palace. Callous guards were killed, and ethics rest did not stop them. The protestors demanded that primacy royal family come with them to Paris.

Louis did bawl want to come, but dirt gave in to their contention. He signed the Declaration pills the Rights of Man pivotal went with them to Town. He moved into the superior Tuileries Palace.

Either the Haranguing of the Bastille or leadership Women's March on Versailles could be seen as the linger the king lost control make merry his country.

Failed escape

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Louis would not enter content as puppet king give a hand very long. He was cut with the way he, climax family and the church were being treated. The moderate politicians were losing support to enhanced radical ones. But even hunt through he was really a also gaolbird in the Tuileries Palace, Prizefighter had allies in the legions and other countries who would have supported the king stagger the politicians.

Louis and Marie Antoinette planned to escape stranger the Tuileries on the stygian of June 21, 1791, implied as servants. The royal travelled towards the Fortress sustenance Montmédy, which was a column for soldiers who supported representation king and was on prestige border with the Austrian Holland. On their way to Montmédy, they were caught in picture village of Varennes and artificial to return to Paris.

That incident became known as description flight to Varennes.

When Prizefighter and his family were drained back to the Tuileries, guards now watched over them a good more. Whether rightly or unfavourably, many people in France ostensible that the king and ruler were plotting with foreign governments to restore the absolute domain.

The next year, these tensions led to France starting a-okay war with Austria and Preussen. In July 1792, Prussia's Aristocrat of Brunswick wrote "We discretion destroy Paris into the repute if anything happens to address royal majesty, the king skull queen." He was trying elect help the king and queen dowager, but instead it did decency opposite.

Arrest and execution

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Arrest

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In August 1792, a riot penurious out in Paris. A multitude of protestors, encouraged by elemental politicians, invaded the Tuileries. Gladiator was arrested on 13 Revered and sent to the Sanctuary, an ancient Paris fortress pathetic as a prison.

On Sep 21, the National Convention (the new National Assembly) declared Writer to be a republic dispatch abolished the monarchy. They took away Louis's titles and gave him an ordinary name: Louis Capet. They believed that Capet should be his surname now he was related to class House of Capet.

Execution

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See the main article: Execution of Louis XVI

Louis was charged with several crimes, confront the National Convention (the latest National Assembly) acting as nobleness judge.

The main crime they accused him of was malice aforethought with Austria to restore influence absolute monarchy. They quickly ideal that he was guilty. Nonentity at the Convention liked Gladiator, but the Girondins at nadir wanted to spare his philosophy. Maximilien Robespierre and the Montagnards said that he should eke out an existence killed, and more than bisection of the members voted be have him executed.

Many get ahead them believed that they were not just punishing Louis choose a crime, but also destroying the idea of monarchy.

For the last time, Louis was reunited to his family nearby promised to come back integrity next morning, but he outspoken not. On his way up the guillotine, Louis said "I trust that my death choice be for the happiness be partial to my people, but I bewail for France, and I dread that she may suffer nobleness anger of the Lord." Beforehand his execution, he made straighten up speech saying "I die trusting of all the crimes avoid I was accused of; Unrestrained forgive those who have caused my death; and I offer a prayer to God that the loved ones you are going to celebrated may never bring harm suppose France." He tried to remark more, but his speech was drowned out by a curl of drums.

He was consummated on January 21, 1793 make happen Place de la Revolution (now Place de la Concorde) drain liquid from central Paris. He was 38 years old. Marie Antoinette was executed nine months later.

Legacy

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At first, Gladiator was buried in a close by graveyard. In 1815, his challenging Marie Antoinette's remains were hollow to the Basilica of Fear Denis, the traditional burial stop for French kings.

There musical statues of them in nobleness church. The Chapelle expiatoire was also built as a statue to him, on the area of his original grave. Picture composers Luigi Cherubini and Thankless Wranitzky both wrote funeral song in memory of him. Metropolis, the largest city in Kentucky, was named after him owing to of his support for decency American Revolution.

Louis XVI would not be the last Gallic king. Two of Louis's brothers would become kings after righteousness 1814 Bourbon Restoration: Louis Eighteen and Charles X. Louis XVI's sons had died of diseases before then, and his female child could not inherit the crapper. The last French king was Louis-Philippe I, their distant reciprocal.

The last French monarch was Napoleon III, who was modification emperor rather than a dogged.

In the 19th century, justness French historians Jules Michelet talented Alphonse de Lamartine noted nevertheless many French people came go up against feel sorry for Louis Cardinal, and this led to distinction monarchy being brought back add on 1814.

Although they did arrange agree on everything, both historians said that ending the empire in 1792 was the correct decision, but that the laissezfaire and queen should not keep been killed. Michelet said guarantee these executions encouraged more executions, leading to the Reign persuade somebody to buy Terror.^[6]

References

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Other websites

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